This chapter examines the complex relationship between criminology and progressivism, tracing its intellectual foundations from the Enlightenment to contemporary debates in the field. It argues that criminology’s progressive ethos, rooted in Enlightenment principles of reason, empirical evidence, and social improvement, has fundamentally shaped the discipline’s development while creating tensions between different approaches to crime reduction. The chapter identifies two main contemporary criminological traditions that emerged in the 1970s: reform-oriented criminology, exemplified by Marxist and critical approaches that seek radical social transformation, and problem-solving criminology, represented by opportunity-based theories focusing on practical interventions. Through an analysis of these competing perspectives, the chapter shows how both approaches, despite their methodological and ideological differences, share a fundamental commitment to social progress. Using the debate surrounding the 1990s crime drop in the United States as a case study, the author illustrates how ideological biases can influence criminological analysis and interpretation of evidence. The chapter argues that reform-oriented criminologists often dismiss evidence supporting police effectiveness due to ideological reservations, while problem-solving criminologists may overlook broader social factors in favor of immediate tactical solutions. The author concludes that advancing criminological knowledge requires recognizing the complementary nature of these approaches rather than treating them as mutually exclusive. This synthesis suggests that effective crime prevention requires both systemic social reforms and practical situational interventions, highlighting the need for methodological pluralism in criminological research. The chapter ultimately calls for a more nuanced understanding of progress in criminology that bridges theoretical divides while maintaining scientific rigor.